What Does That Mean? ABC

What Does That Mean?

ABC

A baker’s dozen
Meaning: Thirteen or, rarely, fourteen.
Origin: In Medieval England, a law called the Assize Of Bread & Ale regulated product weights for bakers based on the price of wheat. Bakers did not want to be fined or flogged (yes, flogged) so they would frequently add a roll or loaf to orders just in case the load was a bit short. The phrase was introduced in a 1500s stage play.

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
Meaning: Appreciate what you have instead of gambling with it to attain more.
Origin: Related to hunting, specifically falconry. A bird used by the hunter will get two birds in the wild.
Note: A version of the phrase from 1546 states it is better to have to have a bird in hand than to risk losing it.

A few bad apples can spoil the bunch
Meaning: A few people acting inappropriately might ruin things for everybody else in the group.
Origin: Over-ripe or moldy apples emit gas that causes the fruits near them to go bad. The phrase was first used by English author Geoffrey Chaucer in his book The Canterbury Tales and became popular when Benjamin Franklin included it in his Farmers’ Almanac.

A penny for your thoughts
Meaning: This is a “cute” way of asking someone what they are thinking.
Origin: It is believed that Englishman Thomas More first used the phrase in a 1500s book. At that time, a penny was a significant amount of money, so offering it was an important gesture.

A stitch in time saves nine
Meaning: Dealing with a problem immediately will save time later.
Origin: A sailing phrase used in 1700s France. When burying someone at sea, the person would be put in a sack, which was weighed down by nine pounds of shot (ammunition). Tying the sack correctly would prevent the weight from being wasted.

A watched pot never boils
Meaning: Concentrating too much on something usually does not produce the desired result.
Origin: Benjamin Franklin wrote, ‘A watched pot is slow to boil’ in a 1785 essay.
Note: As a kid, I heard this phrase and decided to prove it wrong. Yes, I stood there and stared at a pot of water. And yes, it eventually boiled.

A-OK
Meaning: Everything is great. Used to emphasize ‘OK’.
Origin: Martin van Buren, eighth president of the United States, was nicknamed Old Kinderhook, from his childhood in Kinderhook, New York. This, combined with the journalistic joke of writing ‘oll korrect’ instead of ‘all correct’, led to OK becoming one of the most popular phrases around. The ‘A’ may have been added during a 1960s space flight because that letter was easier to hear than an ‘O’.

About face
Meaning: Completely turn around.
Origin: In the English army, ‘about’ meant to face the opposite way. As early as 1711, the phrase was ‘right about face’, which often came after ‘right face’.

Ace in the hole
Meaning: A secret advantage with-held until the right time.
Origin: A form of poker involves facing four cards up and one down, which is known as the “hole” card, an ace being the most powerful. This comes from the 1800s but the phrase as it is used today was the title of a popular 1951 film starring Kirk Douglas involving a scheme his character had an unknown edge in.

Achilles’ heel
Meaning: A person’s only physical or mental weakness, which leads to their downfall.
Origin: In Greek mythology, the warrior Achilles was (as a child) dipped into magical water to give him power and protection. His mother held him by the heel during the act, so it did not gain protection and eventually lead to his death when shot there by an arrow.

Across the board
Meaning: Applicable to every person and/or thing within a situation.
Origin: Around 1901, a person wagering equal amounts of money on a horse in a race to win, place, and show was said to be betting ‘across the board’. The phrase was used in a newspaper article and has been popular in and out of the horse-racing world since.

Adam’s apple
Meaning: The cartilage that surrounds the larynx (a.k.a. ‘voice box’) and grows larger during puberty, resulting in deeper voices (in males as well as females) and often a protuberance from the throat under the skin. It also aids in breathing and protects the vocal cords.
Origin: Popular belief suggests this dates back to the Biblical Garden of Eden, when the first woman (Eve) was tricked into eating forbidden fruit. Art has led the world to believe that fruit was an apple, though its true identity is unknown. Eve gave the fruit to her husband Adam and God punished him for eating it by making a piece of it stick in Adam’s throat. This origin story, though fanciful, is probably incorrect. It was likely derived from the combination of medieval Arabs calling the throat-lump a ‘pomegranate’ and mistranslations of Hebrew, in which adam is the word for man.

Aftermath
Meaning: The effects from an event, usually a negative one.
Origin: Centuries ago, farmers would sometimes harvest grass crops (wheat, cereal, etc.) twice in a year (as opposed to once with most other crops), described by an Anglo-Saxon word meaning ‘mowing’. That word (mæð) gives us the ‘-math’ ending.

Against the grain
Meaning: Contrary to the usual way of doing something.
Origin: The grain within wood goes in a natural direction. Using a plane or sander the other way will damage it. Its (probable) first modern use was by William Shakespeare in his 1607 play Coriolanus.

Ain’t
Meaning: Is not.
Origin: Variation of amn’t, which is a contraction meaning ‘am not’ that is still sometimes used in the UK and Ireland. People- possibly early African Americans learning English- found it difficult to speak, while ain’t was much easier.
Note: Though never technically a proper word, the wide-spread use of ain’t places it in most modern dictionaries.

All’s fair in love and war
Meaning: Sometimes any strategy is acceptable, even ones that go against typical rules.
Origin: Though the wording differs, the first known use of this phrase was by English writer John Lyly in his 1578 book The Anatomy Of Wit.

Alma mater
Meaning: Latin for ‘nourishing mother’, this refers to the school a person attended.
Origin: Ancient Romans reserved the phrase for certain goddesses. It was then used in Catholicism as a name for the Virgin Mary. How it came to mean school is unknown but it likely happened in 1600s England.

Apple of my eye
Meaning: A person I appreciate more than anyone else.
Origin: This phrase likely comes from the Bible, specifically in Psalm 17 when David asks God for protection, though it appears many times throughout the book. A translation from Hebrew refers to the eye’s pupil as an ‘apple’, though it possibly meant something else. There is an alternate thought that a work by King Alfred of Wessex introduced the saying in 885 and was later “romanticized” by William Shakespeare in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Note: Thanks to Dr. P. for suggesting this phrase.

As cute as a button
Meaning: Adorable in a delicate way, like a small child or animal.
Origin: The phrase was first ‘bright as a button’ and referred to the beauty of a flower’s bud, not a shirt’s button. One hypothesis suggests ‘cute’ derived from ‘acute’, meaning ‘clever’, though how it came to describe lovely, dainty things is unknown.

As snug as a bug in a rug
Meaning: Very comfortable.
Origin: The three rhyming words of this phrase used to mean different things- ‘snug’ described the smooth design of a ship, ‘bug’ referred to ghostly spirits, ‘rug’ was another word for ‘rag’. Eventually, the words came into their current definitions and the phrase was pieced together, but nobody is sure when nor why.

As the crow flies
Meaning: The distance to a place in an unobstructed straight line, without considering obstacles that might be in the way, such as roads and detours.
Origin: An out-dated form of sea navigation involved sending crows from a ship, hoping they would fly directly to land that could not be seen by the sailors.
Note: The top of a mast- where the birds were released from- is nicknamed the crow’s nest.

Asinine
Meaning: Very stupid.
Origin: This comes from a Latin word meaning ‘like a donkey or ass’.

At the drop of a hat
Meaning: At once; without delay.
Origin: The signal for fights and races to begin used to be the referee dropping a hat.

At your beck and call
Meaning: Always ready to obey your orders.
Origin: In Medieval England, nobles would summon servants first by using a gesture, then, if that failed, call them. The word ‘beck’ is a shortened version of ‘beckon’. It is not known when nor why the word was abbreviated.

Average Joe/Jane
Meaning: An everyday, common person.
Origin: In the early 1900s, Joe began to replace John as the name for a typical male. (Think Joe Blow, Joe Schmo, etc.) Jane was added to the phrase for females in the name of equality.

Back to the drawing board
Meaning: The current plan has failed so a new one must be developed.
Origin: The first use of this phrase was in this 1941 cartoon by Peter Arno and it’s been popularly used since World War Two.

Barking up the wrong tree
Meaning: Mistakenly pursuing an incorrect path.
Origin: When hunters used dogs, they would often chase potential prey into trees. If the tracking was off or the animal jumped to another tree without the dog seeing, the canine would literally be barking up the wrong tree. The phrase was first printed in James Paulding’s 1832 novel Westward Ho!.

Basket case
Meaning: A person who is disabled due to extreme mental and/or physical stress.
Origin: During World War One, the military was accused of concealing records of soldiers who had all four limbs removed and were carried around in baskets. The phrase was used to deny these people existed, though nobody knows what they were actually called. After World War Two, the idea of baskets was gone but the term stuck around and evolved to mean anybody who was incapacitated.

Bats in the belfry
Meaning: Crazy in a confusing way.
Origin: Bats are mammals known for flying in a seemingly-erratic manner. A belfry is a tower or steeple and features a large bell, noticeably attached to many churches. The phrase was used as early as 1900 in the U.S., though nobody knows who coined it.
Notes: ‘Batshit crazy’ follows a similar meaning, though it involves many more bats leaving their guano all over the place.

Beanie
Meaning: A hat worn close to the head for warmth and/or fashion.
Origin: Not known for sure but two hypotheses prevail: 1) 1940s baseball slang used ‘bean’ when referring to someone’s head (think bean-ball), 2) At one time, all hats like this had a bean-shaped button on their tops.

Be there or be square
Meaning: Attend or be ridiculed as an uncool, boring person.
Origin: The word ‘square’ comes from an old French word meaning ‘honest’ and/or ‘fair’. (This is why a square shape has equal sides.) This positive term got its negative twist in 1940s America, when people who did not care for jazz were considered old-fashioned and un-hip.

Be there with bells on
Meaning: Attend an event with enthusiasm.
Origin: The phrase is (probably) rooted in 1800s America, when people would often show up adorned with flashy ornaments, including bells. However, one possible and more-interesting hypothesis involves the drivers of wooden wagons, who took pride in decorating their vehicles with bells. Upon getting stuck, helpers of the day would commonly ask for some bells as payment. If the wagon arrived at its destination ‘with bells on’, the journey was a success.

Beat swords into plowshares
Meaning: End a period of conflict with peace.
Origin: Isaiah 2:4 in the Bible discusses doing this as a metaphor, hoping for a future where weapons are turned into useful tools that everybody could benefit from.

Beat a dead horse
Meaning: Focus on a solved issue, rendering the effort useless.
Origin: This one is likely literal- Whipping is often done to make horses move faster but doing so to a dead one would be pointless. However, a more interesting story involves sailors who got paid before work was done. The rest of the time was known as dead horse and making money last until the next job was considered beating it.

Bells and whistles
Meaning: Additional and often unnecessary features.
Origin: In the 1800s, anything people were trying to attract attention to (trains, fire engines, even other people) were often adorned with bells and/or whistles. The phrase came into its current meaning from the automobile and computer industries, which began including more and more elements to go with their products. How the transition from creating awareness to surplus purchasing happened is not known but it might have to do with instruments (such as bells and whistles) being excessively added to organs at fairs.

Best thing since sliced bread
Meaning: Something of great importance.
Origin: Bread was one of the first products to become mechanized. Once mass-production set in, quality suffered, so the phrase really describes life before sliced bread as opposed to automation, instead of glorifying sliced bread itself.
Opinion: Slicing bread was still a pretty good idea.

Beyond a shadow of a doubt
Meaning: With absolute certainty.
Origin: A 1772 English newspaper article describes a person being guilty of a crime with this phrase, though it is not known exactly why.

Bike-shedding
Meaning: Giving attention to small issues while largely ignoring the more-important bigger picture. (The current phrase is mostly used in the software industry.)
Origin: When presenting his Law of Triviality in 1957, British historian Cyril Northcote Parkinson described the development of a nuclear power plant. Instead of focusing on the logistics and safety of such a place, his fictional committee argued over details about the shed where employees would keep their bicycles, because thinking about such a thing was much easier to understand.
Note: This was not the same Parkinson whose name is attached to the famous disease- English doctor James Parkinson, who first defined the ailment in 1817.

Birds of a feather flock together
Meaning: People with the same characteristics are likely to hang out.
Origin: The earliest known use was in a 1545 book called The Rescuing Of Romish Fox by William Turner. It’s unclear if he invented the phrase or not.
Note: In Nature, birds of the same species commonly flock together.

Blonde bombshell
Meaning: A very attractive woman with blonde hair.
Origin: The word ‘bombshell’ was used in the mid-1800s (if not earlier) and referred to war-time activities. The term somehow evolved to mean any flamboyant female. In 1933, blonde actress Jean Harlow starred in a film called Bombshell and its advertising put her hair color and the title together.

Blow a gasket/fuse
Meaning: Become very angry.
Origin: A fuse prevents household fires from surges of electricity. A gasket is part of an automobile engine that seals in pressure. If worn out, either of these things can “blow” and cause harm to what it was designed to protect. Both phrases originated in the first half of the 1900s.
Note: A product being designed to prevent a specific event but actually triggering it is an example of irony.

Blow off steam
Meaning: Do something, such as go for a walk, to release a strong emotion and/or energy.
Origin: Steam engines (especially in trains) could explode if too much pressure developed inside them, so a valve had to be installed to get rid of excess steam and avoid such a catastrophe.

Blown to smithereens
Meaning: Blasted or smashed into tiny pieces.
Origin: The word ‘smithereens’ comes from an Irish Gaelic word meaning ‘small fragments’. The phrase was likely first used in an Irish book published in 1801.

Bought the farm
Meaning: Died, specifically while in the military.
Origin: Early-1900s U.S. Air Force slang introduced the phrase ‘bought it’, meaning a soldier ‘paid with his life’. A popular hypothesis suggests that ‘farm’ got added because the government would compensate a farmer if there was a plane crash on his or her property. The pilot, though dead, indirectly paid off the land for the owner(s).

Boob tube
Meaning: Television set.
Origin: In the 1960s, ‘boob’ referred to a simple person who didn’t think much and was easily entertained. Televisions used to be bulkier and contain actual tubes, which were responsible for putting the images onto screens. Critics of the television claimed most of its content was for those people because it was not educational. Also, the words ‘boob’ and ‘tube’ rhyme, which always sounds lovely.

Booby trap
Meaning: A harmless-seeming object intended to trick someone into touching it, sometimes lethally.
Origin: A fun but likely-untrue hypothesis says that sailors used to set traps to catch boobies (a type of bird). This phrase probably came from the word ‘booby’ referring to a foolish or unsuspecting person. Its current use was coined during World War One.

Boondocks
Meaning: A remote and mostly uninhabited place.
Origin: The Tagalog language of the Philippines contains the word bundok, meaning ‘mountain’. When American soldiers occupied the country during the Philippine-American War (1899-1902), they modified and used the word to describe any isolated place. The term became known to the non-military public after the 1956 deaths of six Marines while training on South Carolina’s Parris Island.

Brain-storming
Meaning: Coming up with ideas to accomplish a goal.
Origin: Originally, this term referred to neurological disorders and/or over-active thinking. Then, in 1953, American advertising executive Alex Osborn used it in a positive way in his book Applied Imagination, though he first described the method as ‘Think Up’. It is unclear where the word ‘storm’ came from.

Break a leg
Meaning: Wishing someone good luck, in a theatrical setting or otherwise.
Origin: Actors are known for being superstitious, so this phrase (probably) came about because “good luck” was considered unlucky.

Break the ice
Meaning: Initiate conversation in a social setting, such as a party or on a date.
Origin: This phrase was used literally when talking about ice-breaking ships doing just that to ease naval navigation. Its metaphorical sense initially appeared in a 1579 translation of a work by Greek philosopher Plutarch, but that was written around the year 100, making the origin of its modern usage unclear.

Bring home the bacon
Meaning: Earn enough money to support yourself and any dependents.
Origin: This phrase was likely introduced in early-1900s America and related to the sport of boxing. A lightweight named Joe Gans received a telegram from his mother before a fight that encouraged him to win and ‘bring home the bacon’. Why she said that is a mystery but the expression caught on and was widely used in the boxing world before referring to all jobs.
Note: Gans won his 42-round fight and told his mother that he was not only bringing the bacon home but the gravy as well.

Brownie points
Meaning: Something “earned” by doing good deeds in order to get on a person’s favorable side.
Origin: The most probable root of this phrase relates to the Brownies, which is the entry level of the Girl Scouts. That name was given by Robert Baden-Powell, the creator of the Boy Scouts, referring to ‘brownies’ of Scottish folk lore—magical beings that did household chores while families slept. Brownies (the girls) earn points toward merit badges when they perform helpful tasks. The phrase likely become popular from its use in the military, describing colored points used for obtaining meat and other rations.

Burning the midnight oil
Meaning: Staying awake late to study or do work.
Origin: Before electric lighting, lamps were powered by oil, which had to be burned. The first reported use of the phrase as we know it was in a 1635 book by English poet Francis Quarles.

Burst one’s bubble
Meaning: Alter the way one views a person or thing by delivering negative news.
Origin: Although it’s not known for sure, a popular hypothesis points to children making bubbles with gum or into the air with a soapy solution. There is excitement when a large bubble is blown and disappointment when somebody bursts it.
Note: A less-popular phrase with the same meaning is ‘Pop one’s bubble’.

Butt of the joke
Meaning: Someone who is the focus of ridicule.
Origin: In the 1200s, an arrow’s target was commonly referred to as a ‘butt’. It is not known how but, over time, the words ‘butt’ and ‘target’ became interchangeable. The transition from archery to comedy is a mystery.

By hook or by crook
Meaning: Any possible effort- fair or otherwise- should be made toward achieving a certain goal.
Origin: The root of this phrase is a mystery but it was definitely used in England by the end of the 1300s. The most popular and likely idea has to do with kings allowing peasants to take dead wood from their forests. One could use a billhook (like a curved machete) or a shepherd’s crook (long stick hooked at the end) to gather for firewood. It could alternately pertain to surveyors with the last names Hook and Crook or the taking of an Irish city via the nearby towns of Hooke and Crooke.

By the skin of your teeth
Meaning: To barely, almost desperately, achieve something.
Origin: In the Bible (Job 19:20), Job exclaims that he survived a series of insane challenges ‘by the skin of my teeth’. It’s unknown if he was referring to his gums, enamel, or something else.

Cannon fodder
Meaning: People who are seen as expendable, especially in war.
Origin: The word ‘fodder’ generally means food for livestock. The first known idea of using “expendable” people as “food” for a military adversary can be found in William Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part 1. The expression ‘cannon fodder’ was introduced by French writer François-René de Chateaubriand (namesake of the steak serving) in a pamphlet criticizing Napoleon Buonaparte.
Note: That is the true spelling of Napoleon’s surname, as he was technically born in Italy.

Cardinal direction
Meaning: North, south, east, or west.
Origin: The word ‘cardinal’ comes from the Latin ‘cardinalis’, meaning ‘main’ or ‘principal’.

Carpetbagger
Meaning: Derogatory term for a Northerner who went south after the U.S. Civil War to profit from Reconstruction. Today, it refers to any outsider who tries to exploit an area and/or people for personal gain.
Origin: When the newcomers described above arrived in a location, they often carried their belongings in luggage made from carpeting fabric.

Catch-22
Meaning: A situation that cannot be resolved due to a conflicting aspect within itself.
Origin: American author Joseph Heller coined the term in his 1961 satirical war novel of the same name. In the story, the only way a military pilot could be declared insane (and therefore unfit to fly in battle) is to have himself tested. But seeking testing is considered a display of clear sanity.
Note: The number 22 is thought to be insignificant and was only added because it sounded better. The novel’s original title was Catch-18.

Caucasian
Meaning: A person with light skin who has European ancestry.
Origin: The term refers to the Caucasus Mountains of eastern Europe, which itself comes from a local word meaning ‘shining ice’. In 1795, German anthropologist Johann Blumenbach classified humans into five categories and thought Georgians were the “best” example of light-skinned people, hence the group being called Caucasians.

Caught red-handed
Meaning: To be seen while committing a bad act.
Origin: 15^th-century Scotland seems to be the place it was first used, likely describing someone with blood on their hands.

Cesarean section (a.k.a. C-section)
Meaning: Delivering a baby via surgery through the mother’s stomach because the natural process is not possible.
Origin: A popular theory claims Julius Caesar ordered all dangerous births to be handled this way, so the procedure was named for him. The word could alternately (or in combination) be derived from a Latin word meaning ‘to cut’. ‘Section’ replaced the term ‘operation’ in 1598, though exactly why is not known, though perhaps it was a euphemism used to make the process sound less serious.

Champing/Chomping at the bit (Either word is correct.)
Meaning: Impatient; eager to begin.
Origin: The metal mouthpieces for horses are called bits, which they sometimes chew on when waiting for a race to start.
Note: The expression began with champing but the use of chomping has become accepted and is actually more accurate. The “proper” form of the phrase, however, includes champing.

Check-mate
Meaning: Something stated when putting one’s opponent into an un-winnable position.
Origin: The Persian phrase ‘shah mat’ means ‘the king is frozen’. The term was first used in Chess and evolved into the English saying that we know.

Cheesy
Meaning: Of poor quality, typically in an embarrassing way.
Origin: In the Urdu language of Pakistan and India, ‘chiz’ refers to something important. Late 1800s slang used the word ironically to refer to a stupid person and we likely get ‘cheesy’ from that.

Cherry pick
Meaning: Unfairly choose to take the most beneficial items.
Origin: The two most popular hypotheses both site British slang, one for a sailor who picked a ship’s easiest tasks, and the other for agriculture, when only ripe cherries were taken from trees. Why cherries instead of other fruit is a mystery.

Close but no cigar
Meaning: Almost.
Origin: In the first half of the 1900s, carnival games were targeted at adults and a common prize was a cigar. Like now, the games were difficult to win, prompting many vendors to tell unsuccessful participants that they nearly attained the tobacco-filled reward.

Cost an arm and a leg
Meaning: Be very expensive.
Origin: Though it is not known for sure, this phrase probably began with soldiers in one of the World Wars losing limbs during battle, thus paying a high price.

Crossing the Rubicon
Meaning: Committing to a course of action regardless of the consequences.
Origin: In 49 ­_BCE­, Julius Caesar marched toward Rome, intent on becoming its leader. Bringing an army into Rome was a treasonous crime, but Julius crossed the Rubicon River, which meant there was no turning back. The ensuing civil war named him dictator-for-life and the Roman Empire was born.
Note: When Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon, he quoted a Greek play with the now-famous saying ‘Let the die be cast’.

Crunch time
Meaning: The critical time when something must be completed, such as a game-winning comeback or school project deadline.
Origin: Former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill is credited with first using ‘crunch’ in this manner in 1939, as a euphemism for World War Two. Journalists all over the world began to use the term and morphed it into what it is today.

Cult of personality
Meaning: A charismatic leader (often political or religious) who develops an image of seeming perfection and inspires the people who surround him/her to give unconditional support.
Origin: That type of person has been described for millennia but the phrase itself was made popular by German philosopher Karl Marx, then notably used by former Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev in a speech denouncing Josef Stalin’s rule over the country. It is not known for sure where the exact wording began.

Cup of Joe
Meaning: Cup of coffee.
Origin: A popular theory claims that, in 1914, Secretary of the Navy Joe Daniels banned alcohol from ships, which resulted in sailors resentfully referring to their coffee as Joe. This seems to be untrue, however, since sailors aboard ships had been (supposedly) sober since 1862. The actual root of the phrase is a mystery, though it may have had to do with coffee’s accessibility and general enjoyment- Anybody could get it, even the Average Joe.

Curiosity killed the cat
Meaning: Asking too many questions could lead to trouble.
Origin: It began as ‘care killed the cat’ in a 1598 play by Ben Jonson, a contemporary of William Shakespeare (who then used the line himself). In this case, ‘care’ referred to worrying too much. How it was replaced by ‘curiosity’ is unsure, but literature is full of people who spoke against curiosity when they weren’t busy making up stories.
Note: A peculiar response to this phrase is, ‘But satisfaction brought it back to life’.

Cut to the chase
Meaning: Stop wasting time and state what you want.
Origin: Early US silent films frequently ended with chase scenes, so often that scripts would include the direction ‘Cut to the chase’. In the 1940s, two newspaper articles contained the phrase with its current meaning, though it is not known exactly how they came about it.